Sunday, September 7, 2025

Is George R.R. Martin Literal Garbage?

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Julia and Kylie tackle the problems of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, and make a definitive call on whether author George R.R. Martin should be run out of town.

DISCLAIMER: After posting this episode we received a lot of feedback that we sounded quite dismissive of issues, particularly racial representation. We want to be clear all problems discussed ARE problems, and this is just how we tried to engage with or make sense them. However, we are planning follow-up discussions to this podcast specifically, where we will have guests who can speak to these issues with more agency.

Listen below, subscribe/listen on iTunes (the newest episode is updated in the app, even if not on the site yet), subscribe to our RSS feed, search for “Unabashed Book Snobbery” in any podcast app, or download an MP3 of this episode here (go to ‘show all’).

The salterello performance for this episode is by MoNa FiLiNi.

Episode Breakdown:

  • 0:00 – Intro & general problems
  • 11:35 – Portrayals of race & racism
  • 32:40 – Worldbuilding
  • 36:00 – Women in Westeros & Dead Ladies Club
  • 50:00 – Sexism & sexual violence
  • 1:17:00 – Sex & queer rep
  • 1:32:10 – One final ask & conclusion

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Author

  • Julia

    Julia is a Managing Editor at The Fandomentals with far too many hobbies and complex emotions. She may or may not be an actual Martell.

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